Maclolm Turnbull will be smiling today. The communications spokesperson for Australia's opposition recently advanced a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) plan for the nation's multi-billion National Broadband Network. That plan calls for tens of thousands of roadside cabinets to be constructed as the node to which fibre connects, before …

COMMENTS

I know it's petty...

... but it irks me: "Probably a 4WD" - why include that? Because some random non-credentialed commenter in that original thread states that they think it might have been a 4WD? If said commenter had instead claimed that a dog riding a segway had caused the carnage, would you blindly repeat that? Because in that case I would hope that you would - that would be hilarious.

Come on ElReg - you're better than that - I come here for the cold, hard facts (and to keep up to date on Paris). There's plenty of other websites that are happy to blur in internet scuttlebutt, TheReg has always stood aloof.

Re: I know it's petty...

MR, my decision to mention the 4WD wasn't a "4WDs are inappropriate urban behemoths" thang. Instead, it was included to give readers a chance to understand the size of vehicle that did the damage. It seemed worthy of inclusion to me to give a little extra information to help readers evoke just what happened.

Re: I know it's petty...

"it was included to give readers a chance to understand the size of vehicle that did the damage"

which is exactly his point you refused to address.

he's saying you don't have anything more factual than a forum post claiming "it was probably a 4WD..." and yet you justify your repetition of such unsupported forum opinions by saying "i included it to give the reader a sense of the vehicle".

Do you see that you do not in fact inform the reader in any way by doing that ?

The plural of anecdote is not data, this goes doubly so for REPEATING other people's baseless opinions.

Don't feed the trolls.

Bloody hell, it's bad enough living this armpit of a nation without encouraging the Bogan's Hero to keep up with his rabid slather. Malcolm Turnbull makes Arnold Rimmer look like a pretty nice guy.

Do you fail to understand that swuts like Turnbull have NO INTENTION of ever providing even FTTN (of course their mansions will have FTTFB - Fiber To The Fucking Bathroom) as once they get in power the plan will be subject to review, after review, after review, after inquiry, after review, after review, after inquiry, all in the name of 'FISCAL MANAGEMENT', with the reviews being outsourced to OH MY GUESS WHAT? Their brother-in-law's Fiscal Management Consultancy firm based in Fucking Bermuda.

Have a look at the state of NSW with Fatty O'Barrel in power - management consultants are making a mint, while nothing much happens. 43billion spent on infraftructure - yeah, a few compactuses (compacti?) to hold all the FUCKING REVIEWS. We are up to meta-level 4 for the reviews on the NW rail link, something that was mooted in 19-fucking-28!

Chairman of the review committee (pig-trough) is Nick Greiner, Liberal premier in the 1980's. Another failure, but bugger the gravy-train, he's swimming in the lido-deck gravy-pool of the MV.Gravyboat, the world's largest ocean liner - MADE OF GRAVY!

Most expensive nation on planet? check. Most corrupt nation on planet? check. Most likely nation to end up on the B-ark? checkity-check-check-check!

Re: I know it's petty...

Being familiar with both the cabinets in question and a 4WD (a proper one, with a low ratio transfer case and transmission windup on hard surfaces) I would dispute that a 4WD was involved at all.

The concrete base of the cabinets is normally level with the surrounding ground and the damage is focused just above the base - far too low for any 4WD (or even a gay SUV on low profile tyres) to have caused it - much more likely to have been some boy racer in a lowered car, whose actual driving skills were far outstripped by his self-assesed abilities.

4WD and drink driving

My summary: 4WD drivers are pissheads compared to the rest of the population.

The facts:

Where known/tested, 29 per cent of 4WD drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) greater than 0.05g/100ml. This proportion was higher than for all other types of vehicle operators:

- Twenty-six per cent of motorcycle riders

- Twenty-one per cent passenger car drivers

- Nineteen per cent of light truck drivers, and

- Two per cent of heavy truck drivers

From http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/publications/2002/FWD_Crash.aspx